The Devil Wears Nada
by war on joypiter
Summary: Rachel returns to Tree Hill, but is it to shake things up or settle down? Haley is about to find out whether she wants to or not. NH and JB, takes place a year after season 6.
1. Time to Feed Chester

Title: The Devil Wears Nada

Pairing: Haley/Nathan, Haley/Rachel relationship

Summary: Season 7. Rachel returns to Tree Hill. But is it to shake things up or settle down?

Author's Notes: Since Rachel's last appearance in Tree Hill, I've wondered why she left and how they'll bring her back. I decided to write this fic before more spoilers are released because this is how I'd like to see it go down. Reviews are extremely appreciated (and there is a great chance I'll check out your fics in return!). This isn't going to be very long - 3-4 chapters at the max unless I get really inspired or there are requests for more. "The Devil Wears Nada" is a song by State Champion (/iamstatechampion) and "One Tree Hill" and all characters/references do not belong to me. Enjoy!

* * *

It was rare for the Scott family to have a day off. With no work, no school and no responsibilities to keep them separated, Nathan, Haley and Jamie sat around the coffee table, cards raised and game faces on.

"Do you got any 4s?" Jamie asked, and Nathan was quick to tell him to go fish. Jamie was old enough that Nathan and Haley didn't have to let him win anymore.

Unfortunately, he just had a habit of winning on his own. Nathan was sure he would finally win this one, and he anxiously awaited his turn.

A knock on the door interrupted their game, and Jamie was quick to hop up from his spot at the coffee table. "I got it, I got it, I got it," he shouted loudly, giggle following as Nathan's arms reached out and intercepted the tiny blonde.

"Not so fast, champ," Nathan said, hopping up and tossing his son over his shoulder as Haley moved from the couch to the door. A tickle war erupted, and before Haley could take a moment to enjoy the father-son bonding, a louder and more impatient knock presented itself at the door.

The knock was a mystery to Mrs. James Scott. She wasn't expecting any guests today, and usually unplanned guests in Tree Hill meant bad news. An arrest, a car accident, a divorce, a murder, a clown or just Chris Keller's presence - all things she wanted to avoid. Why couldn't knocks ever be happy news, like winning a contest or receiving a present? Like…

"Flowers!" Haley shouted as she opened the door, a beautiful bouquet of wild flowers greeting her at eye level. "Nathan, did you…?" She trailed off, tossing a glance toward her husband, an eyebrow raised, smile pulling at her lips. It wasn't a special day, but leave it to her husband to surprise her for no reason.

Nathan's expression, however, revealed nothing but confusion. "I…I didn't," he admitted. While he'd love to take credit for the bouquet, he knew better than to lie to his wife. That never ended well.

"Wasn't me, momma!" Jamie belted out from his father's shoulder. Nathan held onto his legs, the boy's skinny frame hanging over his back, hands once flailing wildly but now gripping his dad's shirt as he wiggled for freedom. He didn't want to miss what was going on.

"Then who-" Before Haley could get her sentence out, she turned around to see a set of pearly whites grinning at her. The guest had lowered the flowers, offering them to the shorter woman. It was hard to find the hopeful expression under the face of make-up, but a glimmer was visible to the perceptive tutor. "Rachel."

At the sight Nathan's eyes widened, his arms lowering his son down. Looks like they wouldn't finishing that game of Go Fish, much to his disappointment. Jamie wasn't worried about that - he was quick to sprint to his mother's side, gripping her legs as he examined the stranger.

"You have cool hair," he said, his fingers reaching up to touch his spiky blonde locks in envy. His mom wouldn't let him have a Mohawk - there was no chance she'd approve of him dying his hair a fire engine red.

Rachel let a high-pitched giggle escape from her glossy lips, free hand reaching down to ruffle the kid's hair. "You have cool hair, too," she said, glancing up to Haley. Haley was glaring, and Rachel quickly removed her hand from the child. Look, don't touch, she thought. "Sorry, mama bear," she said, handing the flowers to Haley before holding her hands in front of her body. "Hands off the cub, I know. Cute boy. When did Lucas have a kid, huh?"

Haley had heard every joke about her son's uncanny appearance to Lucas. Even Nathan had learned to laugh it off. Jamie, however, never understood, and was quick to brag about his cousin.

"Last year, but her name's Sawyer and she's not here," Jamie said quickly. "Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton send us pictures, do you wanna see?"

Before Rachel could respond, Haley placed a gentle hand on her son's shoulder. "Jamie, why don't you go upstairs and-"

Jamie interrupted before she could even finish her sentence. "Feed Chester, play video games or clean my room." Letting out a loud sigh, Jamie's blue eyes looked up at the redhead standing in the doorway. "Momma always makes me leave just when things are gettin' good."

Rachel nodded knowingly, a smirk forming on her lips. He had the wit and smarts of a James/Scott kid, that was for sure. "Momma knows what's best for you," she told him. "I promise we won't talk about anything fun while you're gone."

Jamie nodded, hugging his mom a final time before running toward the stairs. Nathan, meanwhile, just stood in shock. He hoped Jamie wasn't right - he hoped things weren't "gettin' good" because he didn't feel like pulling his wife away from a fist fight.

"Can I go feed Chester, play video games and clean my room, too?" Nathan asked quietly.

The daggers shot in his direction by his petite wife answered that question and so much more.


	2. Charging Extra for Photoshop

Title: The Devil Wears Nada

Pairing: Haley/Nathan, Haley/Rachel relationship

Summary: Season 7. Rachel returns to Tree Hill. But is it to shake things up or settle down?

Author's Notes: Sorry it took a few days to get this up. I'm currently out of town with limited Internet access. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who let reviews! It is my first time back in the OTH fanfic circuit for many years, but I am looking forward to finishing this story as well as starting another soon. This story has gotten a lot more hits than I expected, so if you checked it out, leave a short review or send me a message so I know what you're thinking! Until next time!"The Devil Wears Nada" is a song by State Champion (/iamstatechampion) and "One Tree Hill" and all characters/references do not belong to me. Enjoy!

* * *

An awkward silence filled the doorstep as Haley and Rachel stood face-to-face, Nathan hovering cautiously behind his wife. Rachel's high-pitched voice shattered the stillness.

"You should probably put those flowers in some water, Haley, before they wither and die," Rachel said, attempting to side-step into the house but being blocked by the short brunette.

"It can wait," Haley replied, brown eyes narrowed. "You won't be here long enough for anything to wither and die."

Nathan took this as an opportunity to jump in. He didn't want to get involved in a catfight, so he'd put his masculinity on hold to play flower boy. "I'll take these," he told Haley, grabbing the bouquet and placing a kiss on his wife's forehead. "Play nice. Your son's upstairs. Plus we're doing family pictures soon, and I don't want any black eyes. They make you pay extra to photoshop that stuff out."

"Oh, you'd know all about that !" Haley replied loudly, though she had to let a laugh slip out. As much as she enjoyed giving him hell for his fist-throwing past, she'd been in her share of knuckle disputes. Nathan started walking toward the kitchen, but Haley made it a point to shout after him. "Besides, if anyone is gonna have a black eye it's gonna be her, not me!"

"I'd kind of prefer if neither of us had a black eye," Rachel quickly replied, hands raising in defense. She hadn't come to make trouble for the Scotts, and she was hoping to settle differences. Since she clearly had no shot of getting inside to do that, she made do with what she could. Taking a step back, she motioned to the space between them. "Look, not coming into your personal bubble, all right?"

With a sigh, Haley stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. She knew she had to hear the redhead out. She knew it'd been a long time since high school, but it was difficult to trust someone like Rachel.

She didn't see the former classmate last time she'd been to the sleepy North Carolina town, but she heard all about it. The overdose in New York, the stolen money and leaving Brooke after the fashion designer had tried to help her. It had been a few years, though, and at the very least Rachel seemed relatively sober.

"All right," Haley agreed, one hand raising to push a brown curl behind her ear. "Say what you want."

Rachel had rehearsed her speech in front of the mirror early that morning, then again after lunch. Unfortunately, rehearsed speeches never worked out well for her, and the words started jumbling and turned into mush. "Look, Haley, I would've called first but-"

"But I wouldn't have taken the call?" Haley interrupted, and Rachel had to laugh. Haley always did have a sharp tongue - a big bark to go with a bigger bite.

"Exactly. And I totally don't blame you," she quickly added. "But…I'm here to apologize. To make amends. To…recognize the damage I've done to you and your family and tell you I'm sorry."

Haley didn't respond for a moment. She heard the words coming from the redhead's lips, but the former teacher was having a difficult time registering them in her brain. Apologies? From Rachel? They seemed sincere. Haley had a good bullshit detector, after all. No 'dog-ate-my-homework' excuse would pass by Mrs. James-Scott.

"What, is that part of step 6 or something?" Haley finally asked, her brown eyes showing the smallest bit of sympathy. It was impossible for her to not care, at least a little, about a fallen Raven.

Rachel let a quiet laugh slip past her lips, eyes glancing to the concrete below her black heels. "Steps 8 and 9, actually," she replied, fingers gripping the pockets of her designer jeans.

It wasn't that Haley didn't want to forgive her, it was just difficult to trust someone who had betrayed her and her loved ones so many times before. Still, she wasn't going to completely shut out someone who appeared to be trying to better herself.

With a slow nod, Haley reached out a hand and placed it on Rachel's shoulder. "Of course. Look, I appreciate you coming by to -"

And with that she stopped. How had Rachel known where the Scott family lived? She certainly hadn't sent the girl any Christmas cards. How had she gotten to the house, anyway? There was no car in sight, and she certainly didn't walk in those heels.

"Rachel," she began, an accusatory finger pointing outside, "how did you find out where we lived?"

The redhead quickly stammered some words and sounds. As faulty as she was with planned speeches, sprung questions were worse. She used to be much better at coming up with quick lies, after all, but rehab had seemed to strip her of a lot of her devious tendencies.

"Brooke," Haley said quickly, pushing Rachel out of the way as she walked down the path from their house. Parked on the street in front of their neighbor's house was Brooke's car.

"Brooke Penelope Davis!"

The loud shrill of her name being shouted caused Brooke to jump in the driver's seat, rushing to quickly exit the vehicle. "Haley!" she shouted, forcing a large toothy smile as she walked toward her doom. "You remember Rachel, right?"

"Mmhmm."

"So, where's my little Godson at, huh? Feeding Chester? I promised him I'd stop by so I think I'm just gonna-"

Before Brooke could finish her thought (and sneak into the house), Haley had grabbed ahold of her arm, pulling her to her side.

"No, no, no," Haley said. "We need to talk."

Haley now knew it was Brooke's fault her lazy family day was interrupted, and if Haley was going to suffer? Everyone was.


End file.
